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Bob Jones University issues Apology for Racist Policies

By Carmen D. on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008, 12:15 am Comments

Bob Jones University has issued an apology for racist policies that persisted right up until the year 2000. According to a statement, Bob Jones University acknowledges that it’s policies such as refusing to admit black students and then refusing to allow interracial dating, were rooted in polarizing cultural rules of the day not biblical scripture.

For almost two centuries American Christianity, including BJU in its early stages, was characterized by the segregationist ethos of American culture. Consequently, for far too long, we allowed institutional policies regarding race to be shaped more directly by that ethos than by the principles and precepts of the Scriptures. We conformed to the culture rather than provide a clear Christian counterpoint to it.

In so doing, we failed to accurately represent the Lord and to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves. For these failures we are profoundly sorry. Though no known antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism on a personal level have ever been tolerated on our campus, we allowed institutional policies to remain in place that were racially hurtful.

Given that slave owners twisted the gospel of the New Testament to justify slavery, it is heartening and encouraging to see a college that trains future ministers, come out and profess that God’s word promotes unity and celebrates diversity:

[The Bible] teaches that God created the human race as one race. History, reality and Scripture affirm that in that act of creation was the potential for great diversity, manifested today by the remarkable racial and cultural diversity of humanity. Scripture also teaches that this beautiful, God-caused and sustained diversity is divinely intended to incline mankind to seek the Lord and depend on Him for salvation from sin (Acts 17:24–28).

The true unity of humanity is found only through faith in Christ alone for salvation from sin-in contrast to the superficial unity found in humanistic philosophies or political points of view. For those made new in Christ, all sinful social, cultural and racial barriers are erased (Colossians 3:11), allowing the beauty of redeemed human unity in diversity to be demonstrated through the Church.

Do you think this statement will have a softening effect on the hearts of bigots who call themselves Christians?

  • Born Once_Baptized Once_Pagoda
    Sad but true. My 29 yr old will be attending BJU this Jan. 08'. She has a degree in Music. She was promised after two yrs she would have employment in the Church she attends in PA. She will be employed in BJU in exchange for education. She was 'born again' apx 3 yrs. It saddens me to know I've lost my only Daughter to 'religion/belief'. If she was fighting for our Country and lost her life in action, I wonder if it would be less painful?
  • IRONBLUEEYES
    WOW. MAYBE THE BIBLE THUMPIN LOONS WILL APOLOGIZE TO CATHOLICS AND JEWS NEXT.
  • LisaHussein
    Now let's see if they will admit that not only was "Adam and Eve" African but so was Jesus...
  • Gigi
    i wouldn't go there anyway. my mom would have my head before i was allowed to go to school at Bob Jones University
  • antinhawaii
    What an unfortunate event.
  • For an evangelical church, it's definitely a step in the right direction. Just as in any group, I would doubt that the sentiment runs 100% through the BJU's governing body. But once this stance is taken, it is always difficult for an institution bo backtrack. So I'm going to applaud it and wish them the best for it.

    It is always disheartning to see those who professed a love of God use scripture to justify clearly non Christ-like agendas. And certianly, those who will feel alienated against moves like this will lash out against BJU. The rest of us are left feeling cynical about the motives. But I think that this shows Americans really are interested in taking the 'liberty and justice for all' part of the pledge seriously (or ignore at their own peril).

    Who knows - maybe BJU was starting to feel the tug of the 21st century. (Or maybe someone in there actually read the message of the New Testament with a truly open heart and mind.)

    On a cynical note, I would suspect that a wealthy benefactor must have passed on, leaving BJU free to change its stance. Should this change of heart happend a lot sooner? Certianly. Personally, I'm happy that it did actually happen.
  • Call me a cynic, if you must, but I suspect that BJU is feeling the need to access young people of color (and their parents) as a student market now that BJU has had a few embarrassing set-backs over the last few years. Being marked by wide-spread media coverage as capitalistic liers lead by high-rolling sexaholics must surely have cost them a goodly number of conservative monied students. Now that they've "seen the light," they'll be reaching out to African-American youth as potential students, I warrant. Change of heart? I seriously doubt it.
  • n-2-me-i-c
    Christians who take their religion and BJU's statement seriously and sincerely will pray for a change of heart. The others won't.
  • One could only hope that those calling themselves Chritians would understand that God created all men equal. However, I'm not sure this will ever happen becuase of fear: fear of loosing their edge, fear of loosing their women, fear of loosing a job, fear of having no one to blame for their failures than themselves. What I do hope is that so called black conservatives understand that many whites use the terms "conservative" and "chritsian" to hide the fact that they are prejudiced. As a matter of fact, I don't see how a black person can be conservative in America and wrote an interesting peice on my blog, The African American Pragmatist:
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